Cultivator attachment for thinning cotton.



No. 883,304. PATENTED MAR. 31, i908.

. r J. W. BSPIGH. l

CULTIVATOR ATTAOHMBNT'POR THINNING COTTON.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3l, 1907.-

@vi-fuman JO'IHWESPGI?. d "am .l Abw fwf@ akkwnui rup-bolts several views.

UNTTED sTATE-s PATENT OEEIOE..

JOHN w. Espion, or oAnNEY, OKLAHOMA, AssIeNOR or ONE-THIRD To E. e. POWELL, oF

GARNEY, OKLAHOMA.

CULTIVATOR 'ATTCHMENT FOR THINNING COTTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

vPatented. March 31, 1908.'

Application filed May 31, 1907. Serial No. 376,582.

To all whom it may concern:

Bc it known that l, JOHN W. Espion, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carney,

in the county of Lincoln, Oklahoma, have in-A nected by a knuckle or universal joint, each shaft havingsecured thereon a cultivator disk having peripheral off-sets. l The objects of my invention are: first to l provide an implement adapted to be easily attached to any cultivator and perform the task of thinning the cotton and assist in cultivating it at the same time second, that it shall be efficient and easy of operation; third to save time and expense; fourth, to provide 'a comparatively inexpensive implement or attachment for the purpose. l attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which-- r Figure 1 is a vicw in pers iective of my invention as attached to a cu tivator ready for use; Fig. 2 is a part sectional elevation of the right half as viewed from the rear; Fig. 3 is a plan View the cultivator being removed; Fig. 4 is 'Fig-2 modified; Fig. 5 is across section of Fig. 4 on line Fig. 6 is a plan view of the clamping-block with a section of the ycultivator` beam.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the Referring to the drawings', A is the cultivator arch of which the axles B and B are inJ thepresent case horizontal extensions of the 'same and to which. the cultivator beams C, C and D, D are attached, being in airs the inner ones having secured thereto t e archsuppor-tin blocks c a by means of the" stirl li and their plates c c, forming arigid and adjustable attachment, the le s d d of the attachment arch or yoke e' exten verticali through the circular opening in each of Vsaid arch-supporting blocks a causing the said arch c to maintain an upright position, yet permitting a vertical and lateral movement, the vertical movement being con-y trolled by the adjustable collars f and f provided with set-screws and encompassing the said arch legs Z d one of which'is disposed above and the other below the said archsupporting blocks for the purpose of regulating the elevation and depression of the arch e and the parts attached thereto; the terminals or feet of the arch legs d d rest in sockets adapted thereto in boots or socketstandards g g and are subjectto rotary and vertical adjustment and m ay be firmly secured in any desired position, by means of the setscrews h. h, the lower portion of the'said standards g have shoulders g as if made of wrought iron rods hammered upon one side and forcing the hammered portion equally in a lateral direction 'the flattened portion of each being perforated for a bolt to form a joint in connection with the circular-like lu 'i projecting upward from the heel portion o the journalbox sleeve i and havin(r a likeperforation adapted to the bolt y' provided with a threaded nut y" adapted thereto and by means of which the said journal-box sleeve may be set at the desired angle to the normally vertical socket-standards'g g and be firmly secured in.

such position, see Figs.4 1, 2, 4 and 5 the ordinary angle bein@ indicated by the dotted lines a," and y in 4ig. 4.

Within and extending through the journal- I lhaving its like prongs perforated for the terminals Aof the e ual-armed cross m constituting a universa joint when the two like shafts k it are connected by the equal-armed cross or knuckle m, see Figs. 2 and 3, this form of joint connection is simple and eilicient, but any other connection may be adopted which will insure the uniform rotation of the said shafts lc 7c, which have adjustably secured thereon the disk-collars an, being duplicates, each having 'a bore adapted to the size of the shaft le andhavin one or more set-screws o by which to secure rmness of position and insure their mutual rotation, see Figs. 2 and 4, in which it will be see'n that the disk-collar has the end of its stem moldedI or' cut in a manner to form a sand or dust band 1n adapted to pro`ect over the inner end of the journal-box s eeve i to prevent sockel CII dust lroinenteriiig said sleeve and causing undue erosion or' the sleeve and the shaft fc; the opposite end oi' the disk collar n. 'termiin a disk-flange p having a tace contour to li t the disk l@ which is firmly secured tli i o by three or more plow bolts p;

.'d disk being' similar in size and forni to the ordinary cultivator disk, except that, on. two opposite points ol its periphery it is oli-set two inches (moro-or less) toward il concave side and tour inches (more less) peiipherally, decreasing in width and depth as the di center is aporoached and terininatin" at about one haii the radial distance, the purpose of the oil-sets g is to leave a square or portion oi' the soil in the row oiE cotton undisturbed the length of the oli-set peripherally and equal in width to twice the oli-set in consequence of the disks being, set upon their respective shafts 7c in a manner that they will. always register or be in the saine relative position during' their ons which is caused by the friction of und upon the dsiks when in active service. To prevent lodgnientof the soil in the corners of the oli-sets q g the said corners are slightly rounded, .or semi-oval or other formed ell-sets in be made.

A modified l'orin of the disk shalt 7c is sl'iown .in Fig. Ll, in which the stirrup portion 7f3 largcd diameter and a threaded )ted to the threaded 'lenen 7cm of the turner. journal portion" )lf-H which may be made ot' steel and tho other portion 7d may be cast, or may be formed o-nialleable iron, in the present case a walking tongue cultivat r is shown having one of Iny cotton thinning attaclimei'its secured to it, but it is adapted to a tongueless cultivator and to a riding' or sulky cultiv'ator as well.

ln opciation, by stirrup or staple bolts .7) secure the clamping;r blocks (t a to the cultivator beams C andlD in such position that the disks will set in the ground a little in advance 'of the inner shovels of the cultivator and about two inches in the ground, set the arch leg collars f f" closely aboveand below the arch-supporting blocks and with their set-screws secure thein firmly; by ineans of the setecrews l, and the bolts j set thel disks in a p sition tl'iat their edges in the ground i will nearly touch and niove the soil to the right l leit of a central line or path, thus fr cutting1 and moving all weeds and surface soil in the row ot' cotton, except where in their revolution the ofi-setsV g Vleave undisturbed patches and the cotton in those patches is left unharmed. Care must be takenmto follow the row and to uide the team and cultivator properly and t us make I l y, l l

i E l .l l

the attachment not only thin the cotton but ielp to cultivate it. lt will be understood o drill it in rows about four feet apart, placmoving all except one or two stalks or plants in each place from la to ,2O inches apart', 4which with my thinning attachment is determined by the diameter ol the disks E which are duplicates, and the number of plants to be left in each place is determined by the peripheral length of the off-set q.

Different styles of cultivators may require limited modifications of the cultivator attachin cnt for thinning cotton of that herein shown and described which may be done without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what l claim as new and useful'and desirel to se.- cure by Letters Patent is;

l1, A cultivator attachment for thinning cotton havingl an arch or yoke with a pair ot legs having thereon vertically adjustable collars, arch-supporting; blocks and duplicate socket-standards inwhich said legs terminato and in which `they are adjustably secured; j ournalebox sl'evese djustably secured f to said standards/:disk shafts 7c k rotatably secured in said sleeves their'ouleiends being 'provided with threads and nuts and their inner ends terminating in stirrups or yokes having equal arms Zin the ends of which are located the terminals of vthe equal. armed cross m to form a universal joint and insure the uniform reciprocal rotation ol the two shafts, for the purposes set forth.

2. A cultivator attachment for thinning cotton consisting of an arch the legs of which have' secured thereon adjusting collars and arch-supporting blocks to be clamped to Ycultivator beams said legs terminating in socket-standards 'adjustably secured thereto and said standards having adj ustably secured to their' lower ends journal-box sleeves carrying rotatable disk shafts; the disks E E having peripheral of-sets q together with and including the disk-collars ln n to which the disks are bolted, the outer terminals of said collars formingl dust-bands to protect from abnormal wear the shafts to which the said collars are adjustably secured, as described and for the'purposes set forth.

.ln testimony whereof l ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. Espion. l/Vitnesses: l i

M. E." ELLIS, A.` Eems.

ng the seeds about an inch apart, and when Airorn two to four inches high thin itby re- .liat the common inode of planting cotton is 'Y 

